The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A three-party meeting will today attempt to finalise legislation designed to create smoother labour relations in the Bahamas, a private sector representative describing it as “a wonderful development”.

Peter Goudie, head of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) employment and labour division, told Tribune Business that the National Tripartite Council Bill would create the first formal body to oversee employer-employee relations in the workplace.

He explained that the Council, as proposed, would eliminate the miscommunications and uncertainties that had plagued Bahamian workplace relations in the past through having nine permanent representatives.

The private sector, trade unions and the Government will each nominate three persons to sit on the Council, and Mr Goudie said the fact all will be permanent should eliminate past problems caused when different people attended different meetings.

Mr Goudie said he and BCCEC chief executive, Edison Sumner, representing the private sector, would meet with union and government officials at the office of Robert Farquharson, director of labour, at 11am this morning “to finalise this Bill”.

He told Tribune Business: “This should get finalised. Everyone wants it finalised, but we’re not going to finalise it until it’s right. We’re all positive about what we’re doing.”

Mr Goudie said only the “named” representatives to the Council could attend its meetings, which would be held regularly.

This, he explained, would eliminate problems previously caused by the three sides sending different people to different meetings, which inevitably meant some persons needed to be briefed and ‘brought up to speed’ on the issues being debated.

Suggesting that such delays, and miscommunications, had undermined Bahamian employer-labour relations in the past, Mr Goudie said: “The Bill is intended to ensure we have regular meetings and dialogue between the three sectors, and the Minister [of Labour], if he wants to do anything, such as changes to the Employment Act, can put it to this Council to get feedback.

“I think it’s going to improve labour relations in the Bahamas. If we have got regular dialogue, or someone misunderstands something, they can come to the table in a way where we can understand each other as opposed to not talking.

“That’s what we’re trying to do; improve everything for everybody. It’s a wonderful development.”

Mr Goudie added: “Before we used to have Tripartite meetings, but we never knew who was coming, or when they were coming.

“I just think it’s going to be better for everybody. We will hopefully get this thing finalised tomorrow, get it in front of Parliament and then get it moving forward.

“If we can get it done, we can get it through Parliament very quickly.”

Gowon Bowe, the BCCEC’s chairman, said the private sector was “comfortable we’re moving in the right direction” on the Tripartite Council Bill.

He added that based on reports from Mr Goudie, the legislation was “near” completion and being finalised, with the meetings between the Government, unions and private sector bringing results.

The initiative, Mr Bowe said, was being driven by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).